Ford Escort Zakspeed Gr.2

Published: February 22, 2023
Company: Italeri

This is a review of the Ford Escort Zakspeed Gr.2.

Engine

The little 4 cylinder engine is well engraved. I was a little disappointed that there was no distributor.

Interior

Interior is wonderfully engraved and everything fits perfectly. There’s seat belt decals for the driver seat. The kit also had seat belt latches but they weren’t supposed to be used.… more

Mission Model Paints

Published: March 28, 2022
Company: Mission Models

MMP-134 Surf Green, MMP-135 Coral, MMP-136 Aracdian Blue, MMP-137 Lilac, MMP-179 Crocus yellow

Of the paints listed above, I used only the MMP-134 Surf Green on a 1966 Chevelle station wagon. Prior to painting the body was wet sanded with 2009 grit paper, washed and dried and then 2 coats of Duplicolor white primer were applied. After drying overnight, the primer was wet sanded with… more

Mitsubishi Lancer Turbo ’82 Rally of 1000

Published: June 21, 2021
Company: Platz

This is a review of the NuNU Mitsubishi Lancer Turbo ’82 Rally of 1000 Lakes race car by Platz Hobby.

Engine

Disappointed that there’s no engine. It is curbside kit.

Interior

Interior is wonderfully engraved and fits extremely well. Very little, if any, flash needed to be cleaned up. Did not even have to paint some of the parts.

Body

… more

Alpha Abrasives Plastic Sanding Needles

Published: February 17, 2021
Company: Alpha Precision Abrasives Inc.

This is a review of the Alpha Abrasives plastic sanding needles

I wasn’t able to find the assorted sanding needles on the Alpha Abrasives website. There were only individual packages of course, medium, and fine.

The needles are evidently made in a two-part mold because there are two mold lines running down the shaft. Not very good if you want to sand a round hole. The mold… more

Buick Riviera 1963 to 1973

Published: May 21, 2020
Book Author(s): Norm Mort
Company: Veloce Publishing

This is a review of the Veloce Buick Riviera 1963 to 1973

I haven’t written a book review in over 50 years, so bear with me.

The Veloce book is packed with information about the first three generations of the stylish, luxurious, and performance-oriented Buick Riviera. Tons of pictures accompany performance data, available option equipment for each year, changes and upgrades by… more

Hyundai Santa Fe

Published: April 1, 2020
Company: Academy Models

This is a review of the 1/24^th Academy Hyundai Santa Fe.

Engine

No engine. It’s curbside kit and a 2018 model year.

Interior

Interior is wonderfully engraved and everything fits perfectly. There were no painting instructions so interior was left black from the kit.

Body

Body was crisp and clean with no flash. I used HOK white… more

Flex-I-File "Flex-Set" 550

Published: April 17, 2022
Company: Flex-I-File

This is a review of the Flex-i-File Flex Set #550

Oh man. No engine, no interior, no wheels. And you wouldn’t expect those items in a sanding kit. I ran into the Flex-i-File family at the IPMS Nationals in Orlando a few years ago and was impressed with their products. So I bought a few items and have used them extensively over the years.

I’ve included pics of the package and… more

Mitsubishi Colt Galant GTO-MR

Published: February 3, 2020
Company: Hasegawa

This is a review of the Hasegawa Mitsubishi Colt Galant GTO-MR.

Engine

No engine. It’s curbside kit.

Interior

Interior is wonderfully engraved and the supplied upholstery decals fit well. Didn’t even have to paint some of the parts.

Body

Body was crisp and clean with no flash. I had hoped to just polish the plastic but there were swirls in… more

1957 Chrysler 300C

Published: September 13, 2018
Company: Round 2 Models

Engine

There was little flash on the engine parts with excellent details. You get just a basic Hemi engine.

Interior

Deep engraving can be seen on the door panels making it easy to detail paint. Seats and side panels are separate pieces from the floor. I used a Testors flat tan and flat black as called for on the detailed instruction sheet.

Body

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1985 Oldsmobile 442/FE3-X

Published: February 3, 2020
Company: Revell, Inc.

This is a review of the Revell ’85 Oldsmobile 442/FE3-X show car. I built it as a factory stock 442.

Engine

Zero to very little flash was on the engine components. Two items I disliked were the valve covers and oil pan molded to the block. Should have been separate pieces.

Interior

Extremely distinct engraving on the interior pan. Door panels are separate… more